CCiCap Kickoff Meeting. SpaceX will hold a kickoff meeting at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, or a nearby facility to review the current state of existing hardware, processes and designs, describe plans for CCiCap program execution during both the base period and the optional period and lay the groundwork for a successful partnership between NASA and SpaceX.

August 2012

Complete

$40 Million

2

Financial and Business Review. SpaceX will hold a financial and business review to accomplish verification of financial ability to meet NASA’s stated goals for the CCiCap program by providing NASA insight into SpaceX finances.

August 2012

Complete

$20 Million

3

Integrated System Requirements Review (ISRR). SpaceX will hold an integrated System Requirements Review (ISRR) to examine the functional and performance requirements defined for the entire CTS for the Commercial Crew Program design reference mission per section 3.1 of CCT-DRM-1110, as well as to evaluate the interpretation and applicability of each requirement.

October 2012

Complete

$50 Million

4

Ground Systems and Ascent Preliminary Design Review (PDR). SpaceX will hold a Ground Systems and Ascent Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to demonstrate that the overall CTS preliminary design for ground systems and ascent meets all requirements with acceptable risk and within schedule constraints and that it establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design.

Human Certification Plan Review. SpaceX will hold a Human Certification Plan Review to present the Human Certification Plan. This Human Certification Plan Review will cover plans for certification of the design of the spacecraft, launch vehicle, and ground and mission operations systems.

May 2013

Complete

$50 Million

7

On-Orbit and Entry Preliminary Design Review (PDR). SpaceX will hold an On-Orbit and Entry Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to demonstrate that the overall CTS preliminary design for orbit, rendezvous and docking with the ISS, and entry flight regimes meets all requirements with acceptable risk and within schedule constraints and that it establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design.

Safety Review. SpaceX will hold a Safety Review at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, or a nearby facility to demonstrate that the CTS design is progressing toward meeting the Commercial Crew Program’s safety goals.

October 2013

Complete

$50 Million

10

Flight Review of Upgraded Falcon 9. SpaceX will conduct a review of a launch of the upgraded Falcon 9 launch vehicle demonstrating the operation of enhanced first-stage M1D engines, stage separation systems, enhanced second-stage MVacD engine and mission-critical vehicle telemetry during flight. Demonstration of the upgraded launch vehicle will serve as a risk reduction for the planned inflight abort test.

November 2013

Compete

$0

15A

Dragon Parachute Tests Phases I & II. SpaceX will conduct parachute drop tests in order to validate the new parachute design as capable of supporting a pad abort event. Milestone 15A included a crane drop test.

November 2013

Complete

$15 Million

15B

Dragon Parachute Tests Phases I & II. SpaceX will conduct parachute drop tests in order to validate the new parachute design as capable of supporting a pad abort event. Milestone 15B featured a helicopter drop test.

November 2013

Complete

$5 Million

TOTAL TO DATE (OUT OF $460 MILLION):

$330 Million

11

Pad Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct a pad abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The scenario where an abort is initiated while the CTS is still on the pad is a design driver for the launch abort system as it dictates the total impulse and also requires parachute deployment in close proximity to the ground.

December 2013

Pending 3Q 2014

$30 Million

12

Dragon Primary Structure Qualification. SpaceX will conduct static structural testing of all Dragon primary structure components to ultimate load factors, as applicable. This series of tests will validate the Dragon structure’s ability to maintain integrity during all driving load cases as well as verify the accuracy of math models used to analyze the Dragon structure. Individual tests will be designed to exercise all credible failure modes and minimum margin areas.

January 2014

Pending 2Q 2014

$30 Million

13

Integrated Critical Design Review (CDR). SpaceX will hold an Integrated Critical Design Review (CDR) to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test.

March 2014

Pending 2Q 2014

$40 Million

14

In-Flight Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The in-flight abort test will supplement the pad abort test and complete the corners-of-the-box stress cases. The in-flight abort scenario represents a Dragon abort while under propulsive flight of the launch vehicle during the worst-case dynamic loads on the CTS.

I posted in the Boeing article but the same comment apply here. Milestones are becoming more complex and increasingly comprehensive. A slip of a quarter or so is to be expected however note that costs associated with these slips are being carried by the companies not NASA directly. Not even indirectly since the next stage of the program’s IIRC isn’t funded or contracted as yet. Pity SLS and MPCV isn’t as transparent. Oh pad abort looks like moving to Vandenberg.

Saturn13

NASA just came out with changes to the CC milestones. The pad abort test will be this July. Thanks editor for showing the old one. You have shown the Feb. CC report though. Thanks for the first look I have seen of the abort test article. It is suppose to look like the real thing. They must not have the outside skin on it. If the bottom is the 12′ d. of F9, then they are making the capsule much larger. 16′ it looks like. The same as SLS. If so, Wow! Shotwell said there was a big difference. That would be a big difference.

If he gets the funding, I wonder how fast he can get this off the ground, as well as FH and Raptor. Hopefully, he is going to the google boys who apparently are smart enough to want to leave him their money rather than to do charity like Gates would do.

windbourne

thanx. So, this would seem to imply that the first stage of the upcoming ISS flight is not the F9R.

Michael Vaicaitis

No mate, you seem to have done 2+2=3. The CRS rocket is an F9R, but not the “finished” article. The Texas and NM rockets are technology test beds. Texas can work on refining the landing and NM can work on the boost back, descent and approach. Although, who knows, perhaps when NM is up and running, the Texas effort will be discontinued. Apart from anything else, they are gonna need to demonstrate a high degree of control throughout the return regime before FAA and range controllers will be happy to let them fly back and touch down.

It’s not just about control though, they also need to optimise fuel usage. For example, I think Musk has already said that they are able to use less fuel than on the first Vandenberg flight. Also, the CRS3 rocket has some improvement to the attitude control system, which together with the legs, will hopefully prevent the aerodynamic spin that scuppered the first attempt.

BeanCounterFromDownUnder

No this isn’t about more funding for his R&D. He’s got lots of new employees and some of his older ones options are probably close to maturity.

windbourne

actually, over at the forum, there is some question about it.

sftommy

Elon needs to lunch with Uncle Warren in Omaha. $500M in exchange Warren gets a class of preferred stock (keeps SpX privately owned for now) and an exclusive on launch insurance going forward. Spacex is about to pickup a “cornpicker’s bushel” of Air Force launches. The insurance profits would make dollars signs roll in old Warren’s eyes!

windbourne

And to be fair, I would love to see buffet invest into giga-factory as well. He spent .5B into a China’s BYD, which has been a joke. They have only done decent in a Chinese gov fixed market place and no other.

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